Torrance councilman's proposal to return July 4 fireworks to Wilson Park falls short

One Torrance councilman's idea of restoring an Independence Day fireworks display at Wilson Park has fizzled.

With the rest of the seven-member panel opposed to Tom Brewer's suggestion, the pyrotechnics proposal was tabled unless someone steps forward with $150,000 to pay for it within the next two months. The vote was 6-1, with Brewer opposed.

Councilwoman Susan Rhilinger expressed doubt that would happen, saying when she served on the city's Centennial Committee last year the group was approached several times by potential sponsors for a fireworks display.

"When they find out how expensive it is, nobody does it," she said.

But Brewer said his council colleagues missed the point.

"What I really wanted to do is look at ways to scale down the show so it wouldn't cost so much money," he said.

Since the end of the Wilson Park show, fireworks fans now crowd Torrance beach and others nearby to watch a a privately funded display from an offshore barge and a city show near the Redondo Beach pier. And that's less of a family-oriented crowd than at Wilson Park, said Deputy Police Chief Kevin Kreager.

"The beach is becoming a greater issue," he said. "It is a safety issue down there, there's no doubt about it."